An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 99

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 99
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 99
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 99

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Montgomery was married in Kansas, De- cember 10, 1874, to Miss Emma Woods, whose father, Thomas Woods, was born in Pennsylvania and was an early pioneer of Smith county, Kansas. Mrs. Montgomery is a native of Illinois, born in 1854. She and Mr. Montgomery have had eight children, of whom six are now living, namely, Roy, Earl, Carrie, Leslie, Lulu and Lillie. Fraternally, Mr. Montgomery is affiliated with the Masonic order. In politics he is independent. While he re- sided in Kansas he held the position of justice of the peace for some time, but he has never been an office seeker. His standing as a man and citizen is of the highest, and integrity and fairness are said to char- acterize all his dealings with his fellow men.

JOHN KURTZ, an energetic and prosperous farmer of Klickitat county and a carpenter by trade, resides on his ranch of 160 acres, four miles north- west of Goldendale. He was born in Crawford county, Ohio, July 5, 1834, the son of George and Dorothy (Rapp) Kurtz. His father, a native Ger- man, was likewise a farmer. He came to the United States in 1831 and settled in Ohio, becoming a pio- ner of that state, and he died there in 1886, at the age of seventy-eight. The mother of our subject was also born in Germany and married in her na- tive land. She came to the States with her his- band and passed away in this country in 1888, be- ing seventy-eight years old at the time of her de- mise. She was the mother of eight children, of whom John, our subject, is the youngest. He at-

tained the age of fourteen in Ohio, receiving a lim- ited common school education. In 1848 he started out in life for himself, going first to Indiana and later to Illinois. In 1856 he went to Minnesota and took up a pre-emption claim and for a number of years afterward he farmed part of the time, also fol- lowing his trade in various parts of Olmstead and Fillmore counties, of which he was a pioneer settler. June 2, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Twelfth regiment, Second battalion of the regular army, for three years' service in the Civil war. He cam- paigned under Generals Pope, Burnside and Meade, making an honorable record for himself, nor did he lay down his arms until peace was assured. After leaving the army he went back to Minnesota. There he lived until 1871, doing well all the time; but in that year he came west to Napa, California. The ensuing seven years were given to the pursuit of his trade in the Golden state, but in 1878 he came to Klickitat county and took up land. Later he bought the improvements on his present home, which he afterward secured by compliance with the require- ments of the homestead law. He has since resided in the locality, engaged in farming and stock rais- ing. In his work he has achieved an abundant suc- cess. During the early days he had large bands of cattle and horses on the ranges continually, and from the profits accruing therefrom he retrieved his shattered fortunes, for he had lost everything before leaving California, through fire. Coming to Wash- ington with practically nothing, he has acquired a competency by the use of good judgment and by un- remitting effort.

In Mower county, Minnesota, in the fall of 1857, Mr. Kurtz married Elizabeth, daughter of John and Mary (Doyle) McCabe, both of whom are now de- ceased. She was born in New York state on the first day of July, 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz have one daughter, Mrs. Clara Bowers, living in Seattle, and one son, Lestie A., residing with his parents. Mr. Kurtz is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and Mrs. Kurtz belongs to the Presbyte- rian church. In politics he is an independent voter. His splendid services during the dark days of civil strife are acknowledged, as they should be, by his being granted a pension from the United States government. Since the close of the war, he has continued his good services to the commonwealth, by invariably taking his place, wherever he has lived, as a public-spirited citizen, and keeping a strong shoulder to the car of progress always. In the community in which he now resides, his stand- ing is an enviable one, his neighbors all respecting him as a man of integrity and worth.

WILLIAM H. STITH, a man of means and influence and a prosperous ranchman of Klickitat county, resides some five and a half miles northwest of the city of Goldendale, on his farm of 320 acres. He was born in Jasper county, Missouri, January

- --

429

BIOGRAPHICAL.

14, 1873, the son of Henry B. and Malinda (Walker) Stith. His father, a miller and butcher by trade, was born in Kentucky, March 31, 1806, and in 1840 moved to Missouri with his parents, where he still lives on the old homestead which was originally owned by his father and mother. He is of Dutch descent and his wife of Scotch. She was born in 1826, and passed away in her forty-eighth year. William H., the youngest of four children, grew to the age of twelve on the parental place, then removed to Webb City, where he followed mining for a space of five years. When seventeen years old he got the western fever, borrowed forty dollars to pay his fare and came to Klickitat county. His first employment was with Hale & Slade, who operated a stage line between Grants and Moro, Oregon. About the time of his marriage, 1892, he rented a ranch and engaged in farming. In 1901 he bought the farm and also an adjoining quarter section, and he has since farmed on a somewhat larger scale, cultivating at the present time about 250 acres. He estimates the value of the land and improvements to be in the neighborhood of $8,000, certainly a very considerable sum for a young man to have acquired solely by his own efforts in so short a time. He also owns a modern, self-feeding thresh- er. His principal product is wheat, but he gives considerable attention to stock, breeding Poland- China hogs and Clydesdale horses. A competent blacksmith, he has a shop on his own place and does all the necessary repair work himself.

On December 6, 1892, in Klickitat county, Mr. Stith married Miss Edmonia Gano, a native of Iowa, born in 1871, the daughter of B. J. Gano, who has lived in this county some twenty-four years, and a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere in this vol- ume. Her mother, whose maiden name was Clar- inda Hoffman, died in 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Stith have three daughters, Clarinda, Gertrude and Aura, and one son, Alfred. Mr. Stith has three sisters, all married, namely, Mrs. Aura King, in Missouri ; Mrs. Alice Mesecher, in Klickitat county, and Mrs. Ada Draper, in Idaho. In politics, our subject is a Re- publican, and though not specially ambitious for po- litical preferment, is ever ready to discharge his du- ties as a citizen. By the successful fight he has made against poverty and hard times and adverse conditions, he has won the respect of those who have known him; while his integrity as a man has gained him the esteem and confidence of his neigh- bors.

ALBERT L. BAKER. Ranking high among the many who have demonstrated the agricultural possibilities of the Goldendale district is Albert L. Baker. He resides six miles northwest of Golden- dale, his postoffice address being Blockhouse, and, though a tinner by trade, is engaged in horticultural farming, chiefly. Mr. Baker is of German-Scotch

parentage, born in Center county, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1847. His father, also native of Penn- sylvania, died in 1850. In Germany the family name was Becker, but upon transferring his citizenship to the United States, the elder Becker, father of Samuel and grandfather of Albert L., of this biog- raphy, changed his name to Baker, which is English for Becker. In Pennsylvania Father Baker was a school teacher, and took a prominent part in the in- troduction of: new school books and improved meth- ods of teaching. . The mother of Albert L. was Han- nah (Glenn) Baker, of Scotch parentage and a na- tive of Pennsylvania. She died when Albert was a babe of six months. Three years later the father died, and Alfred, now an orphan, was taken charge of by the Leidy family. He remained with these people until eighteen years of age, during which time he acquired a common school education, and, in New Jersey, learned the trade of a tinner. At this occupation he worked for a season, and then went west to Des Moines, Iowa. At Des Moines, Win- terset and other points in Iowa he worked at his trade for eleven years. In the spring of 1880 he moved from Iowa to Goldendale and there worked in a tin shop. He also took a homestead, and while he worked in the shop, his family lived on the land. This plan he followed until 1887, when he was able to prove up.

Mr. Baker, in 1872, married Miss Ida F. Bean, then resident in Iowa, though a native of New Hampshire. Miss Bean's stepfather, Wm. Ames, was prominently associated with the pioneer devel- opment of Iowa. He is now deceased. The mother, Adeline (Locke) Bean, was born in New Hamp- shire, and died in Ellensburg several years ago. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Baker, namely, Glenn H., Harry, and Mrs. Katie M. Bratton, the last named residing on Crofton Prairie. Though he occasionally works at his trade in town, Mr. Baker no longer follows the work as a vocation. He now specializes in the fruit growing business, and so assiduous has he been in this line that at times his neighbors and friends have good- naturedly termed him a "crank" on the fruit ques- tion. He first devoted his attention to berry rais- ing, and later put out an orchard. In each venture his success has been most commendable. Now he has about a hundred varieties of apple trees grow- ing in his orchards, though all have not yet reached maturity. His cellars and packing-houses are com- modious and well adapted to their uses. In all, the place comprises one hundred and sixty acres. Polit- ically, Mr. Baker is independent, and in religion he accepts the faith and doctrine of the Advent Chris- tian church. His one brother, Daniel W., died many years ago in Illinois. Mr. Baker's life and environ- ments have been such that at all times he was de- . pendent largely upon his private resources and force of character for his success in this world, and the estate he has now reached demonstrates the truth

430

CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

of the statement that he has proven himself lacking in few elements of strong, honest manhood, such as are conducive to a sucessful life.

SAMUEL T. DAVIS is a farmer and stockman with residence four miles west of Blockhouse, Washington. He is a Missourian, born in Caldwell county, May 27, 1847. His father, Lewis F. Davis, also a farmer, was a native of Illinois, born April 5, 1825. The grandfather, Dennis Davis, a native of Maryland, came to Illinois in an early day with pack horses. In Illinois, Grandfather Davis served in the Blackhawk war, and through divers other conflicts with the Indians. He also was a veteran of the War of 1812, while his father, the great-grandsire of our subject, served with distinction throughout the Rev- olutionary war. The Davis family settled in Mis- souri in 1844, Mr. Davis having been preceded by his brother, who went there in 1832. Father Davis died July 31, 1884. Milly (Barrons) Davis, the mother of Samuel T., was born in Tennessee, and came to Missouri when a little girl. Her death oc- curred December 26, 1862. She was of Scotch- Dutch parentage, while her husband was Welsh- English, by descent. Samuel T. grew to manhood in Caldwell county, Missouri, where his parents set- tled in 1844. He received his education in the com- inon schools of that county, and taught in 1872-3. Afterward, for several years he farmed and dealt in cattle. In 1880, he went to California, thence through eastern Oregon to Klickitat county, where he arrived July 29th. Here he immediately bought the relinquishment of a place formerly filed upon by Thomas Crofton, after whose father Crofton Prairie was named. For several years he devoted the farm which he thus acquired to the growth of grain and the raising of live stock, principally cat- tle and horses. He has since, like his neighbors, gone to farming more extensively, with a conse- quent decrease in the attention paid to stock raising.

On September 10, 1874, in Caldwell, Missouri, Mr. Davis married Miss Matilda Kayser, a native of the county mentioned. She was born in 1856, the youngest of the family. Her father, Barnhart Kay- ser, was born in Switzerland in 1803. His death occurred in 1866, forty-nine years after he had come from Switzerland to the United States. The mother, Matilda (Seitzinger) was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1810. Her death occurred when she was fifty-nine years old. She was of German parentage. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis are three, Artimas A., now deceased ; Zelbert L. and Clarence A. In politics, Mr. Davis is a decided Democrat. He takes an active interest in the affairs of his com- munity, and has served for thirteen years as a school director of his district. This school is now the larg- est in the county, and its excellent organization is said to be due in part to the labor of Mr. Davis. His farm is one of the finest in the county, compris- ing five hundred and twenty acres of well-watered

land. It has a good orchard, and is well equipped with farm buildings. As a stock fancier he has a preference for Poland-China hogs. It is regretted that ill-health has deprived Mr. Davis of the ability at present to take an active part in the management of his affairs; however, his two sons, Zelbert and Clarence, on account of their father's ill-health, have taken charge of the farm-work, and are executing their charge very ably.

WILLIAM M. EDMISTEN is a genial and prosperous farmer, residing two and one-quarter miles west of Blockhouse, Washington. He was born in Caldwell county, North Carolina, October 13, 1837. His father, John T. Edmisten, and moth- er, Cathern (Hayse) Edmisten, were both born in North Carolina, and both have died in the state of their nativity, the mother dying when William M. was but a small child. During his early years he was not permitted to attend school to any extent greatly beneficial, but since then, being endowed with good sense and the ability to understand cor- rectly things seen and heard, Mr. Edmisten has ac- quired a stock of general information which renders him by no means an unlearned man. When thirteen years old he left home and worked out till the out- break of the Civil war, when he enlisted in the Southern army. After the war was over he settled in Missouri, but remained there only till 1869, when he migrated to California. There, for six years, he worked as a farm hand for various farmers, and during this time acquired a thorough knowledge of the business. From California he worked his way up the coast to Washington, and on February 28, 1878, landed at Goldendale. Immediately upon ar- riving he took up a piece of land located three miles north of the town, which he farmed and made his home upon until 1888. Then he sold out and re- turned to California, remaining ten months, coming again to Klickitat county in 1889, however. On this occasion he bought his present place of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has since devoted to farm- ing and stock raising.

Mr. Edmisten is one of a family of eight chil- dren. His brothers and sisters are James, Abra- ham, Lucy, Mrs. Mary Church, Mrs. Margaret Church, Mrs. Fannie Dancy, and John, now resi- dent in Mission, Washington. He is a Democrat and strongly set in his political convictions, though not so radical as to allow any party prejudice to draw his influence from the best interests of his community. He has a well-tilled farm, and suffi- cient stock and implements with which to farm it advantageously. Spoken of by his many friends he is called "a good old bachelor," and this kindly meant cognomen implies a degree of good-will from friends and neighbors given to none but the most deserving. Mr. Edmisten has had five houses burnt, with their contents, since coming here, but being a frugal, provident man, he has in each instance been

431

BIOGRAPHICAL.

able to command the funds to build a new one. Two of the burned houses were where his present home stands.

FRED W. GERLING, the owner of a 960-acre ranch in Klickitat county, fourteen miles east and six south of the city of Goldendale, was born in Germany, June 21, 1840. His father, Fred W. Ger- ling, was likewise a German, and a farmer by occu- pation. He came to the United States in 1857, but not liking the country, returned home, where he died in 1895, at the age of eighty-six. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Mary Trentteman, was also a native of Germany. She died in 1851, after having become the mother of eight children. Fred W., whose life is here chronicled, received his education in the German schools. Leaving home at the age of fifteen, he crossed the Atlantic to New York, went thence to Wisconsin, and for four years worked in a sawmill there. In 1859 he returned to New York, whence he came to California by the Isthmus route. After a short stay in the Golden state he went to Portland, Oregon, arriving there July 9, 1859. Ascending the Willamette river to Ore- gon City, he worked ten months in a sawmill there, then followed steamboating on the Willamette for a like period, meeting, at the end of his service, with an accident on the boat. He then went to Florence, Idaho, and mined one season, afterward returning to Oregon City for the winter. In the spring of 1862 he removed to The Dalles and again engaged in steamboating, an occupation which he followed uninterruptedly for the ensuing four years. From 1866 to 1875 he was foreman of the warehouse at the Celilo ferry, but on April 5th of the latter year, he came to Klickitat county. He was engaged in1 the stock business near Rock creek until 1881, when he took up as a homestead a part of his present place. An energetic, ambitious man, he has added to his holdings until he now has nearly a thousand acres, seven hundred of which are under cultiva- tion. Besides carrying on agricultural operations on an extensive scale, he finds some time to devote to stock raising.

In the state of Wisconsin, September 9, 1871, Mr. Gerling married Mary, daughter of William and Mary (Bolhmeier) Mohle. Her father was born in Germany in 1823, came to the United States in 1852 and settled in Wisconsin, where he farmed until 1873. Coming then to Portland, Oregon, he spent there the remainder of his days, passing away at the age of eighty-three. His wife, who was like- wise of German birth, also died in Portland. Mrs. Gerling was born in Wisconsin, March 12, 1858, . and was educated in the schools of that state. She and Mr. Gerling have six children, namely, Fred W. A., born in Celilo, Oregon, in 1873; Edward C., horn in Portland, in 1876; Ernest D., born on the Rock Creek ranch in 1878; Oma, in Klickitat county in 1886, Frank in Klickitat county in 1888 and Wil-

liam, also in Klickitat county in 1892. Mr. Gerl- ing is a member of the Lutheran church. Fraternal- ly, he is connected with the I. O. O. F. and in poli- tics, he is an active Republican. He enjoys the re- spect always accorded to those who have the ability and energy to achieve success in any line ; while his integrity and uniform fair dealing have won and re- tained for him the esteem of his neighbors and all who are associated with him.

CHAUNCEY GOODNOE, another of Klicki- tat's early and respected pioneers, still resides in the county to which he came more than forty years ago, being at the present time engaged in sheep raising. His 640-acre ranch lies five miles south and eleven miles east of the city of Goldendale. He was born in Broome county, New York, Decem- ber 30, 1841, and is the son of Luther and Martha (Swartward) Goodnoe, both of whoni were of Eng- lish descent. The father was a lumberman by oc- cupation and during a useful life of fifty-seven years, dating from 1801, resided in his native state, New York. The mother was a year younger than her hus- band, to whom she was married in New York, her native state, also. She died in Wisconsin in the year 1896. Chauncey Goodnoe received his education in the common schools of New York. He remained at home until twenty years of age, when lie came to California, via the Panama route. He wintered in the Golden state, then came north to The Dalles, arriving at his destination July 4th, 1862. There he was engaged in freighting to va- rious interior points until winter, then went to Ore- gon City. In the spring he returned to The Dalles, but soon departed for Klickitat county, where he spent the summer and fall of 1863. The next win- ter he spent in the Grande Ronde valley, returning again to Klickitat for the summer. In 1865 he bought a squatter's right to a quarter section which comprises a portion of his present ranch, filed a homestead claim to it and since then has made it his home. He was engaged in the cattle and horse business until 1903, when he sold the larger stock and invested in sheep, to which he now devotes his entire attention.

In Klickitat county, in the year 1881, Mr. Good- noe married Miss Maggie Mills, the daughter of John B. and Margaret (Hurst) Mills. Mrs. Good- noe belongs to a distinguished pioneer family of the Northwest. John B. Mills, her father, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, in 1815, of English parent- age. Very early in life he removed to Arkansas and April 15. 1843, started with a famous company of heroes to colonize the Oregon country. The story of this famous emigrant train's sufferings and harsh experiences and of its final success is a matter of Northwest history. The namics of those who made that fearful trip to save to the Union Washington, Oregon, Idaho and a portion of Montana, at the entreating call of the brave Marcus Whitman, will

432

CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

ever stand out prominently on history's page. This leader of all emigrant trains arrived in Oregon City, December 8, 1843. Mr. Mills resided in Washing- ton county fourteen years, in Douglas county a like period, in Clackamas thirteen years and in 1884 came to Klickitat. He now lives with his daugh- ter, Mrs. Goodnoe, and although nearly ninety years of age, is still hale and hearty. His wife, a Virgin- ian, born in 1818, moved to Wayne county, Indiana, when a little girl and was married at the age of twenty-one. She was with her husband in all his frontier life, but passed away twenty-one years ago. Mrs. Goodnoe was born in Douglas county, Oregon, in the year 1858, and was educated in Oregon. At the age of twenty-one she was married. She and Mr. Goodnoe have two daughters, Mabel and Edith, the former born March 12, 1882, and now a resident of Spokane; the latter born December 14, 1884, at present employed as a dressmaker in that city. Mrs. Goodnoe has three sisters and one brother living: Mrs. Jane S. Witt, in California; Mrs. Mary A. Vaughn, in Salem, Oregon; Mrs. Virginia Saxton, in Oregon; John F. Mills, in Yakima City; three brothers, William R., Isaac C., and Jasper, and one sister, Mrs. Martha Saxton, are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Goodnoe are members of the Christian church. Mr. Goodnoe takes a deep interest in political matters, his party being the Democratic. At present his herd of sheep numbers 1,500, but it is being rapidly aug- mented. Most of his ranch is grazing land, though considerable of it is in cultivation. Mr. Goodnoe is a man of high standing in the community, public- spirited and honorable in his dealings with all, rich in the number of his friends.

ALFRED O. WHITE, a large sheep owner and a prominent Klickitat county farmer, resides on his well improved ranch of nearly six hundred acres, fourteen miles southeast of Goldendale. He is a native of Oregon, born in Washington county, March 3, 1864, the son of Charles and Florence (Speer) White. His father, who is likewise a farmer and stockman bv occupation, was born in 1839. He crossed the Plains with his parents when a little past five, and settled in Washington county, Oregon. His father, Richard White, grandfather of our subject, built the St. Charles Hotel, on the prin- cipal street of Portland, one block from the Willa- mette river. At the time they arrived in Portland, the present city was composed of but a few board shan- ties. Alfred's father, now sixty-five years old, still resides in the Williamette valley. His mother, a native of Missouri, passed away in 1892, at the age of forty-five. Her parents were old Oregon pio- neers, and at one time owned land on the site of the present city of Portland. The man whose life is the theme of this review was the second oldest of a family of six children. He grew to young manhood in Oregon, receiving his education in the common schools of that state. Coming to Klickitat county

with his parents in 1884, he engaged with them in the cattle business on their present home place, but some six years ago his father returned to Oregon, and he and his brother, John, formed a partnership in the business. Finally selling their cattle, they en- gaged in the sheep industry and later Alfred bought out the entire interests of his brother, becoming sole proprietor of the business, which he still continues with excellent success. He owns a band of 2,200 sheep, which he winters on his ranch and in the summer time ranges in the vicinity of Mount Adams, Mount Ranier and in other places ..

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 99

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146